Summary: We can join in worship of Emmanuel -- God With Us -- the One Who took on human flesh, was born of a woman, lived among people, died on the cross and was resurrected by the power of the Living God.

Every Sunday we have a “Call to Worship.” In ancient times, a ram’s horn was used to call Israel to worship. We were called to worship today with the choir singing “How Great Our Joy” and scripture from the psalms and Isaiah.

With this we are

Called from the hustle and bustle of the season…

Called from the panic and utter exhaustion of

trying to do it all…

Called from family joys and conflicts…

Called from good food and drink…

Called…to worship.

We are called to express our feeling about God and expose the condition of our hearts. It is love expressed in the freedom of being in the presence of God. But some do have questions about worship.

I. Three Normal Discussion Questions about Worship

A. When we should worship.

1. Not as hot a question today as it was in years gone by.

a. The larger Christian community has favored Sunday.

1) Free of the Sabbath obligations in Old Testament law

2) Acknowledging that it was on the first day of the week that Jesus rose.

b. A smaller segment of the Christian population has favored Saturday.

1) Belief that Christians are legally and morally bound to obey the Ten Commandments including the Sabbath legislation.

c. In recent times, still others have sought to add to corporate worship times with multiple Sunday services, Wednesday evening services, and, more rarely, services on Friday, Saturday or other days.

2. But there is also the discussion of the time of day when an individual Christian should worship.

a. Some say that a Christian should worship as he rises from bed each morning.

b. Others prefer that worship take place just before retiring for the night.

c. And of course there are those who would insist that real Christians worship 24 hrs. per day, seven days per week.

3. But to be honest, in our day the discussion of when boils down to: we worship when it is convenient for us.

B. A second question about worship is where.

1. Some insist that true worship can only take place in a sanctified facility.

2. Others maintain that any place a Christian is, is a place where he may worship.

3. In the days of the Patriarchs there was no particular place of worship.